by Mike Ryan
“And he won’t talk to anyone other than you?”
“That’s right. The first sign of someone other than me and he’ll bolt.”
“Not even on the phone?”
“No.”
“OK. What else does he know?”
“I’m not sure exactly. But he says he knows where the girl is and that she is in danger. He believes they’re both now targets.”
“Well, if this guy’s hiding her, then yeah, they probably are.”
“He thinks he can eventually get the girl to me so she’s safe. But he’s gotta try and find a secure spot first.”
“You need to be careful on this one, Stacy.”
“I will.”
“You’re dealing with some very dangerous people. If what you’re saying is true, and this guy has the girl, they’re gonna be on him.”
“I know that.”
“Also know that they won’t have any qualms in killing an FBI agent if you’re standing in the way of what they want.”
“I’ll be careful.”
“I hope so. If you decide to meet with this person, and he hands over the girl to you, make sure you bring a backup team. ‘Cause it’s quite possible wherever you make the exchange, you’ll have to fight your way out.
“I’ll make sure it’s covered. Thanks, Fred.”
“You got it, kid.”
They hung up with Dunn having mixed feelings about everything. Though she was confident that everything Lamb told her was the truth – at least it seemed to check out so far – now she wasn’t so sure that meeting him alone was such a good idea. Her colleague was right. If that crew really wanted the girl dead, and Lamb along with her, they were going to be scouring the area tightly in their search for them. She knew you could never underestimate the type and amount of connections the underworld had, so assuming they’d have a safe and secure meeting spot was not something that could be assured of. Wherever Lamb and Dunn had their meeting, it was certainly possible, if not likely, that they’d have some undesired company along with them.
She reconsidered for a few minutes whether she should tell her superiors, but she eventually came back to her original notion of just keeping it to herself. While she couldn’t be sure of what would happen later, she did know Lamb, she knew his MO. He wouldn’t show up to a meeting if he thought there were a bunch of agents hanging around. And he would know. She didn’t want to take the chance of Lamb being scared away by fearing other agents milling around, losing her chance to get Brooke. As was her first inclination, the girl was her first priority. She’d figure everything else out after that.
Lamb had been driving around for the past hour, not going anywhere in particular. Until he met with Dunn, he didn’t know where else to go. He feared stopping anywhere would be a risky proposition. He looked over at Brooke and saw that she was leaning over, her head resting on the window.
“If you wanna take a nap or something, I’ll wake you up when it’s time,” Lamb said.
“No, I’m not tired.”
After stopping for a red light, Lamb looked in the rearview mirror as he’d been doing constantly since leaving the Swanson home. He noticed a black car in the same lane as them, three cars back. Considering he didn’t have a specific destination in mind, he found it peculiar that the same car had been following them for the last several minutes. Lamb noticed they made the same turn he did three straight times. He could tell there were two people in the front seat, but couldn’t quite tell whether there was anybody in the back. It was possible that it was just a coincidence, but he wasn’t taking chances. As soon as the light turned green, Lamb got into the right-hand lane and turned at the next corner. He kept his eyes glued to the mirror and saw the black car turn as well. His suspicions were on high alert now. He sped up until he got to the next corner, making another right. The black car increased its speed as well, also turning the corner.
“What’s going on?” Brooke asked, becoming worried.
“It’s nothing.”
“Are we being followed? Is someone after us?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll lose them.”
Lamb sped up even more, now going over eighty. There were no other cars between the two now and the black car seemed to be gaining on them. Lamb put it in gear, hitting ninety miles per hour as he tried to keep some space between them. It didn’t seem to be working, though. He wasn’t losing them. He turned a couple more corners, eventually winding up in a residential neighborhood, the black car closing in. Suddenly, shots rang out. Lamb ducked his head and looked over at Brooke. He reached his hand over to her and pointed to the floor.
“Get down,” Lamb said.
Brooke unbuckled her seat belt and slid down onto the floor, crouched down as low as she could. Lamb looked through the mirror and saw the man in the passenger seat in the car behind them, reaching out the window with an assault rifle. Lamb put his foot down to the floor as the shots were fired. The bullets ripped through the back windshield, shattering the glass, only a few small jagged particles still hanging on to the frame of the window. As the two cars raced through the streets, Lamb knew he had to lose them as quickly as possible. If they weren’t working alone, they could’ve alerted a lot of people of Lamb’s position. That would mean a lot more were coming. He could probably lose a car or two, but he worried about some type of roadblock being set up.
After a few more turns, they zipped out of the residential section and crossed the street, winding up in another neighborhood. The same chase ensued, complete with several bullets lodging into Lamb’s car. Lamb knew they couldn’t keep this chase up much longer. He had to do something to get their pursuers off their tail, and he had to do it fast. The longer they kept this up, the sooner something bad would happen to one or both of them.
Lamb raced out of the section, the other car still following closely. After speeding down the street, he noticed the entrance to a boatyard coming up on their left-hand side. He thought it might be a good spot to try and lose them. They needed a spot they could try to disappear. He prepped Brooke with the plan.
“Listen, I’m gonna drive into a boatyard and stop real sudden, OK? As soon as we come to a stop, you gotta hop out with me. It’s the only way we’re gonna lose these guys.”
“OK,” Brooke said.
Lamb put his foot down on the gas and tried to create some more distance between the two cars, then, as the entrance came upon them, slammed on the brakes to slow down and make the turn. The tires squealed and smoke rose into the air as they entered the boatyard. Lamb’s maneuver seemed to surprise the car behind them as they slowed up to make the turn, giving the assassin extra time to put some space between them.
Without seeing the car directly in the rearview mirror, Lamb took the first opportunity he saw to park his car between a couple of boats. One was a cabin cruiser and one was a motorboat. They were big enough to hide the car from view at first glance, though it wouldn’t take very long for the occupants of the other car to find them. Without seeing or knowing where Lamb’s car was, they’d drive through the yard slowly. It wouldn’t take them long to see the parked car.
As soon as Lamb put the vehicle in park, he grabbed his bag and hopped out of the car. Brooke quickly scampered through the open door, Lamb taking her hand as he closed the door. He led her around the back of the boats as they made their way toward the end of the row. It put some doubt in the minds of their pursuers as to where Lamb was, but he knew they couldn’t hide out there forever. He’d have to make some kind of move to escape, or kill the people following them, whichever seemed the most logical alternative at the time. Instead of going around the boatyard, hiding behind every vessel they came across, Lamb decided they’d be better off hiding inside one of them.
Though he couldn’t see the car that had been following them, he assumed they were there. By now, they must have found the deserted car and were probably on foot looking for them. Lamb helped Brooke inside the boat they were standing behind as he waited for a visual of the men he
knew were coming. Hiding inside a cabin cruiser, Lamb instructed Brooke to keep down again, just in case one of the men saw her poking her head out of the boat and decided to take a shot at it. But he also didn’t want her to see what he would do to them once he saw them. She’d seen and been through enough already, he thought.
They waited inside the boat for two or three more minutes. Lamb was impressed that Brooke followed all of his instructions so well. He always thought that most kids that age were more difficult. He was proud of her for taking things as well as she had, at least it seemed that way on the outside. Lamb peered over the side of the boat and saw a man walking towards them. He was near the back of the boat next to them, holding a gun in his hand as he turned his head in every direction for a sign of Lamb or the girl. Lamb put his head down as he crawled to the end of the boat, staying as quiet as possible. Once the armed man made his way to the back of their boat, Lamb sprung himself off the boat, flying on top of the gun-toting man. The gun dropped from the stunned man’s hand as they fell to the ground, dirt kicking up around them.
Lamb got back to his feet first and delivered a powerful overhand right fist to the side of the man’s head just as he was getting to his hands and knees. The man fell back to the ground and Lamb pulled out his knife, stabbing the man several times with the sharpened five-inch blade. As the man bled to death in front of him, Lamb steadfastly turned around, looking for the man’s partner. Lamb dropped to the ground again, trying to see if he could locate another pair of legs walking in their direction. Not seeing anything, he slowly walked to the front of the boats and stuck his head out just enough to be able to see. About five boats down, he saw the other man. He was going boat to boat, looking for Lamb hiding between, under, or in back of them.
Thinking he could get the drop on the man, Lamb just stood there, his gun pointing at the open space the man would soon be occupying. He knew the man wouldn’t expect him to be standing there waiting for him. Lamb waited there stoically, patiently for his victim to show. He could hear by the dirt shuffling around under the man’s shoes that he was in front of the next boat. Lamb stayed perfectly still as he readied his fingers, re-gripping his weapon. Lamb saw the edge of the man’s head and immediately pulled the trigger. As soon as his entire face was visible, the man instantly dropped to the ground, perishing as soon as the bullet entered his forehead. Instinctively, Lamb was about to reach down and pick up the gun that lay just off the tips of the man’s fingers, but stopped as he knew it was not necessary. With the back of the man’s head lying in a pool of its own blood, Lamb could easily see the man was dead.
Lamb stood over him for a few seconds, then turned back to the first man he killed, wondering if he should hide the bodies. He could’ve hoisted them over his shoulder and thrown them in one of the boats to put them out of sight, but the blood that was soaking and staining the ground would still be visible. In the end, he didn’t think it was worth the trouble. Even if it took three or four minutes to get both men out of sight, that was valuable time Lamb would lose in getting away from the scene. He went back to the middle of the boat that Brooke was hiding in and called her. She lifted her head up just enough that only the bridge of her nose and eyes were visible.
“It’s all over,” Lamb said. “C’mon, I’ll help you down.”
Brook climbed over the side of the boat, landing into the outstretched and waiting arms of Lamb. He carried her in his arms, her face digging into his left shoulder.
“Close your eyes,” Lamb said. “Don’t look.”
Lamb cradled her head into his shoulder, making sure she didn’t peak at the mayhem they were running away from. Once they were a safe distance away, he put her down as the two of them started running for their car. When they finally got to it, Lamb noticed the other car only a few feet away with the doors still open.
“Stay here,” Lamb said.
Brooke stayed near the driver side door, not yet getting inside of the car. Lamb walked over to the other car, making sure there was no one else inside. He leaned in, giving it a quick look over. He noticed the keys were still in the ignition. He popped his head back out of the car and then looked at Brooke and their car. He then walked back over to Brooke and grabbed her hand.
“C’mon, we’re taking the other car,” Lamb said.
“Why?”
“Just in case they have friends and told them what car we were driving. They might assume we took the other car but it should still buy us a little time.”
As Lamb started to lead her to the other car, he suddenly stopped. He couldn’t be a hundred percent sure that there were only two men that came out of the car. Just in case there was another man that was unaccounted for who was still in the yard looking for them, Lamb got his gun out. He pointed it at the front tire and shot a hole through it, deflating it instantly. Just to make sure the spare would be useless, he shot the back tire as well.
“All right, get in the other car,” Lamb said.
Brooke hopped in the passenger seat as Lamb walked around the front of the car, eventually getting in the driver side. He spun the car around and headed for the exit. Before going full speed onto the highway, he stopped the car in the entrance area, looking around for signs of other cars waiting for them along the street. With the coast seemingly clear for the moment, Lamb turned onto the highway, wondering what surprises were in store for them next.
9
After being on the road for about ten minutes, long enough for Lamb to see that they weren’t being followed, he pulled out his phone to call Dunn. Racing through the streets, along with the incident at the boatyard, was enough to convince him that he needed to get Brooke into safer hands. And there was no time to wait. It needed to happen now. If not, he knew there was a good chance the next time – and he was sure there would be a next time – he couldn’t guarantee as good of a result. Seeing it was Lamb calling, Dunn picked up on the first ring. There was still a piece of her, though, that couldn’t believe they were working together.
“Hey, what’s up?” Dunn answered.
“We need to figure out something soon.”
“Why? What happened?” Dunn asked. He piqued her interest by his rush of words and the way he sounded out of breath.
“Someone found us.”
“How? Where are you? What happened?”
“I don’t know how,” Lamb said. “We were driving and I picked up a tail. Tried losing them but it didn’t work. Wound up in a boatyard.”
“Which one?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t take notice. There’s two dead bodies in it though.”
“Jeez.”
“Hey, I did what I had to do,” Lamb said.
“Yeah, I know. Is Brooke all right?”
“Yeah, she’s OK.”
“Where are you right now?”
“Just driving. I don’t know where I’m going. I know that Brooke’s gotta get somewhere safer than being with me.”
Dunn sighed as she put her hand on her forehead, racking her brain to figure out the next step. “OK. I’m gonna have to figure out a spot.”
“I switched cars, so that should buy us some more time, but it ain’t gonna buy us much.”
“Do you have any suggestions?”
“I dunno,” Lamb said. “You know this area better than me. I’ll bow to your judgment.”
“Are you gonna trust that I’m not setting you up?”
“I guess I’m just gonna have to believe you at your word.”
“You know, there’s another way to handle this,” Dunn said, knowing he wouldn’t go for it.
“What’s that?”
“Come to the FBI building or the local police station. Turn yourself in. It’s the surest way to keep Brooke safe.”
Lamb took the phone away from his ear for a few seconds, pondering the validity of what she said. Though deep down he knew she was probably right, that it was the best way to keep Brooke from harm, he just couldn’t do it. If he turned himself in, he knew he’d never see
the light of day again. They’d pin so many murders on him that he’d spend the rest of his days looking at the uncomfortable confines of a prison cell. From Lamb’s point of view, he’d rather end up dead than spend the rest of his life in prison. To him, looking at those bars every day wasn’t much of a life.
He knew he could get Brooke to safety. There was a way for her to get out of this mess. For him, maybe not. He wasn’t sure there was a way out. But he knew that going into it. He also wasn’t really worried about his own safety. After thinking about Dunn’s suggestion, Lamb pressed the phone back to his ear to let her know he wasn’t ready to pursue that option.
“No, I’m not turning myself in.”
Dunn sighed again, hoping that he’d see it was the best way. And the safest option for both of them.
“If you pick a spot in the next half hour or so, we can end this thing now,” Lamb said.
“And if we safely make the exchange for Brooke? What then? What are you gonna do after that?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t figured out that part yet.”
“You know, they’re gonna keep coming for you. Especially when they realize they can’t get the girl. You’re gonna be the last loose end that needs to be wrapped up.”
“I know it.”
Even though they had a history, and Dunn obviously didn’t approve of his profession, she found herself being somewhat sympathetic to his case. Maybe it was the fact that he was throwing his life away to rescue an innocent child, someone he didn’t even know, that was softening her stance toward him. Whatever the case was, she didn’t want him to wind up dead after all this.
“You know, once you give Brooke to me, I’m not sure if I can help you,” Dunn said.
“Don’t worry about it. Don’t even give it a second thought. You can’t save everyone.”
With that last line, Dunn got the feeling that Lamb was already preparing for his own death. She couldn’t be sure that he was deliberately planning on going down in a hail of gunfire, but it certainly didn’t seem like he was against it either. Maybe he was just planning for the worst, she thought. In any case, they had to get moving and pick a drop off spot for Brooke before Lamb picked up some more unfriendly people on the way and threw even more of a wrench into things. She flung a map down on her desk as she tried to pinpoint where Lamb was, and where they could potentially meet.
